ISS Daily Summary Report – 06/06/13

New Status: High Beta Angle: The ISS isat a high beta angle this week and as a result the team has been managing power and thermal requirements across the systems. The Ku-band antenna in particular has been parked several times as it neared low temperature limits, with minimal impacts to operations until today. Today, the Ku-band was parked for most of the day and some activities requiring video or commanding via the Ku-band were impacted. The team is working to reschedule those activities.Ocular Health (OH) Activities: With assistance from Flight Engineer (FE)-3 Cassidy, FE-6 Nyberg and FE-5 Parmitano completed an ocular ultrasound today. Cardiac ultrasound with blood pressure could not be completed today due to the Ku-band limitations, and ground teams are rescheduling.

In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Centerline Berthing Camera System Troubleshooting: On September 13, 2012, the crew attempted to install and use CBCS String 2 in Node 2 for a ground controlled Ready To Latch (RTL) test but were unable to achieve a usable video image. Limited troubleshooting performed that day failed to resolve the issue. This morning Cassidy replaced String 2 components with String 1 hardware and discovered a bad cable which he replaced. The rest of the system checked out nominally. CBCS will next be used for H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) berthing in August.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS – Neutrons (RaDI-N 2): Cassidy retrieved and performed a readout of 8 bubble detectors from deployed locations in the ISS.This is a follow on investigation designed to characterize the neutron radiation environment aboard the ISS. Eight neutron “bubble detectors” are attached to fixed locations inside the ISS, including one carried by a crewmember. The objective of this investigation is to better characterize the ISS neutron environment and define the risk posed to the crewmembers’ health and provide the data necessary to develop advanced protective measures for future space flight.